May Apartments arson suspect pleads not guilty in first court appearance

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — The suspect in the arson of a Southwest Portland apartment building pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance since the structure was decimated by a massive blaze earlier in the month.

Garrett A. Repp, 30, faces 31 charges related to the fire that destroyed the May Apartments on Southwest 14th Avenue and Southwest Taylor Street on May 16. His lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf during the hearing Friday — throughout which Repp remained silent.

The charges Repp faces include two counts of first-degree arson, 18 counts of reckless endangering and 11 counts of first-degree criminal mischief.

According to court records, Repp was served an eviction notice from the May Apartments earlier this month. Some people who lived in the building told KOIN 6 he had a history of causing trouble in the building.

“The guy will come out of his apartment, he’ll pull the alarm, and then he goes back inside his apartment. He’s been seen doing it, they have him on camera doing it, and yet they still didn’t arrest him and they didn’t remove him from the apartment,” said displaced resident John Judge.

The judge ordered the suspect to be held without bail.

Repp’s next hearing is set for May 31 and then will appear before a Grand Jury on June 6.

Stay tuned with KOIN 6 as we bring you updates to this story.

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